Happy Birthday, Casey
by Noxbait
Summary: One-shot follow up to Ring around the Roses by Noxbait and DamonsGirl92. This piece of fluffy goodness is being posted today in honor of DamonsGirl92's 22nd birthday. If you enjoyed Ring around the Roses, you should enjoy this little piece. If you haven't read that story, go check it out and then come back for the fluff and fudge!


**So this is a birthday present for my dear friend, DamonsGirl92. Today is her 22nd birthday and I wrote this piece of fluffy goodness just for her. **

**This follows up with characters from our story, Ring Around the Roses. If you haven't read it, this might not make a ton of sense...so go read that story first then come back for some fluff! :) If you ****_have_**** read RAtR...hopefully you will enjoy this little one-shot!**

**PS...A sequel to Ring Around the Roses is in the works! Watch for it in the next month or so! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

"You look amazing, Casey!" Bennett breathed in awe, fingers gently touching the satiny fabric of the black, tea length gown. "And your knife actually fits under the skirt because it's all fluffy."

Casey laughed as she studied herself in the mirror. Bennett was right; her knife felt perfect and secure on her right thigh. Just where it belongs. She touched her pearls and slid into her black pumps. Glancing over her shoulder, she said, "You better go get changed if we're going to make it to the movie on time. Remember, you were the one who wanted to get all dressed up; not me."

Bennett grinned and carelessly brushed at her stray hair and bounced off the bed. "Sure. I'll be ready in a jiffy!"

"Mmhm…" Casey shook her head as the girl dashed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. She liked that Bennett was putting a bit more effort into herself and experimenting with makeup and such, but the perfume stage was getting a bit difficult to stomach.

* * *

"She's all yours, Mr. Winchester." Bennett threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. "And she looks gorgeous."

"Of course she does." Dean nodded as she started tugging at his tie. He batted her hands away, coughing at the heavy scent of the perfume she was doused in. "Get away from me; you smell like you took a bath in Chanel Number 5. And stop fussing with my tie. I had it just right…"

"You had it crooked." Bennett narrowed her eyes. "Now it's perfect. You didn't mess with anything in the car, did you? You did! Didn't you?"

Dean pushed her away again. "I don't mess with anything except monsters and ghouls. I didn't touch anything in the car; now go away. Go eat something."

"Did you leave any fudge?"

"Absolutely." Dean lied as Bennett scurried away toward the kitchen. Hopefully he and Casey would be gone before she discovered there was no fudge left. He grinned and headed toward Casey's door. Reaching up a hand to knock on the door, he figured that this would be about the time for nerves to set in. He shrugged. Nope, not a single butterfly. Cool. So he knocked.

Casey's voice came from the other side of the door. "Bennett, there is no way that you are…"

The door opened and Casey stood there, amusement turning to surprise on her face. She looked him up and down, a smile touching her lips. Dean watched as she took a step forward and draped herself seductively against the door-frame, glancing up at him from under her eyelashes. He couldn't help the stupid grin as he stared at her.

"Going somewhere, handsome?" She asked softly as she reached up to run her fingers along the lapel of his tux.

Dean nodded, "I've got a hot date."

"Do you now?"

"Mmhmm."

"I had one too, but something tells me she's standing me up." Casey grinned, standing on tiptoes and giving him a quick kiss.

Dean brushed her curls back and let his hand linger on her shoulder. "Shame. You look kinda nice."

Casey's eyebrow shot up. "Kinda nice?" She pushed herself from the door-frame and shrugged his hand off, moving her hand in a dramatic, sweeping motion from head to toe. "This, mister, is not 'kinda nice.' This is expensive and sensational…"

"And my hot date." Dean grinned and kissed her before she could pull away.

His hands were around her waist, holding her close. Casey smiled at the twinkle in his eyes and said, "Oh, I'm your hot date?"

"Sam certainly isn't." Dean stood back a bit. "And I think he'd get offended if I asked Bennett out…"

"So that leaves me?" Casey tilted her head in amusement. "Wow. You really need to work on this whole romantic thing. I'm not sure most girls would go for finding out they were the third pick on draft day."

"Good thing you aren't most girls." He took her hand, then leaned down and whispered, "And you are always my first pick on any day."

Casey felt a warmth spread from her soul outward and she squeezed his hand, letting him lead her down the hall. She asked, "So where exactly is it that you're planning on taking your hot date, Deano?"

"Dinner and a show, Echo," Dean grinned, "dinner and a show."

* * *

"That was amazing!" Casey grinned, sitting back and staring at the feast spread between them. "I'm so stuffed, but I could totally eat more. You didn't make all of this, did you?"

Dean nodded, "Actually I did. Well, except for the fudge. Bennett was all over that. Makes me feel almost bad about not leaving her any."

"No way. How did you find time...when on earth did you do this? I would have smelled it all cooking…"

"Except you spent most of the day out shopping with Bennett and probably burned out your sinuses with all that perfume she took a bath in." Dean wrinkled his nose. "That girl reeked."

Casey grabbed another piece of fudge and shrugged, "She's trying. At least we've moved past the goth eyeliner phase."  
"The eyeliner didn't make me want to sneeze…"

Laughing, Casey slid the picnic basket back a bit and moved over across the trunk of the Impala closer to Dean. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder and watching the gorgeous sunset. His arm gently wrapped around her shoulders.

"This is amazing, Deano. Everything. Just perfect." Casey said softly.

"Yeah?" Dean looked at her uncertainly.

"Yeah. I am very impressed." She looked around the empty Drive-In Theater, then back to the sunset. "I haven't been to a Drive-In for years. Too bad these places aren't still open. My mom used to take me sometimes."

"My dad took Sam and I a few times, too. We usually fell asleep in the backseat before the second feature."

"Me too." Casey grinned, sneaking another piece of fudge as the sun finally sank behind the treeline.

"Not a cheesy date?"

"Not at all." She squeezed his hand. "I love you in that tux, baby. And I love that we're on our own. You know? I mean I was excited that we were going out, black tie and all, but this is so much better than some fancy restaurant with a bunch of stuffy people around."

"I'm not sure there's a fancy restaurant in Kansas." Dean said, consideringly.

Casey laughed, "True. Regardless, I love this. Just you and me. Kind of like Purgatory."

"But nobody's trying to kill us."

"Always a plus."

Watching the last fading light of the day, they enjoyed the sound of the crickets and each other's embrace. After a few minutes, Dean tugged on her hand and pulled her off the trunk. He led her toward the front of the car, leaned in and flipped the lights and radio on. To the strains of Firehouse's _When I look Into Your Eyes,_ he took her hand in his and pulled her into his arms and began to dance.

"Mr. Winchester." Casey smiled up at him, marveling at how she had been so lucky to find this handsome man in Purgatory. "You are quite the charmer. I didn't know you knew how to dance."

"I'm full of surprises, Dr. Economou." Dean smirked at her.

"I'm beginning to realize that." Casey let her head rest against his chest as they swayed; wondering what else he might have up his sleeve. "I like your surprises."

"I like surprising you."

"Well you certainly surprised me tonight. You and your little accomplice kept me in the dark all day. What brought this all on, anyway?"

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, then said, "It's a special day."

Casey blushed and burrowed her head down farther. She whispered, "How did you…"

"I know this guy…"

"A guy?" Casey rolled her eyes. "He wouldn't happen to be my father, would he?"

"Actually, I did hear that rumor floating around somewhere."

"He told you it was my birthday? I'm surprised he even knew." Casey tried not to let the bitterness invade her tone. Sometimes it still stung. She loved her father, and they were working on their relationship, but they weren't exactly ready for the father daughter banquet.

Dean squeezed her hand and said, "He loves you, Casey."

"Oh, I know he does." She sighed, "So you and he have a nice talk then?"

"Yeah. Really nice." Dean swallowed hard and tried to smile. Yesterday afternoon had been about the most uncomfortable few hours he'd ever spent in his life. Sitting down with Cas at a local coffee shop wasn't necessarily his idea of a good time even on a normal day. Sitting down with Cas to discuss his daughter had left him with an ulcer. Or two. He said, "Happy birthday, Casey."

"Thank you." Casey watched the fireflies dance in the beam of the headlights. "This has been the best birthday I've...well, that I've had since I was a kid. You may surprise me, Deano, but you seem to know me very well. This is me." She let him lead her in another slow dance and said, "This is me. Pretty dress, out in the fresh air, casual picnic dinner with a handsome wonderful man. Couldn't get better."

Dean stepped back slightly and grinned at her. She took his breath away on a daily basis, but right now, at this specific moment, he wasn't sure he'd ever catch it again. He touched her cheek and said, "I hope that's not true. Cuz I'm hoping to make it even better."

Casey studied him and her heart surged with love for the man in front of her. She hadn't even been thinking about her birthday. Birthdays weren't exactly something she looked forward to. But this had been the perfect evening. And he'd figured it all out on his own. Figured out exactly how to celebrate her birthday in exactly the way she had never known she wanted it celebrated. She'd won the lottery when she'd tried to kill Dean Winchester in Purgatory.

She smiled suggestively, "So what did you have in mind to make this day better?"

"Oh, I have a few surprises up my very fine tuxedo sleeve, Echo."

Tugging at his sleeve, Casey reached up with her other hand and pulled his head down lower for a kiss. She asked, "Do you know how much I love you?"

"Apparently enough to put up with me for eight months…"

"Plus a year in purgatory…"

"Plus a year in purgatory." Dean nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Guess you kind of like me."

"A little bit." Casey rolled her eyes and slapped him gently across the face, "You idiot. I love you with my whole heart."

Dean kissed her again and whispered, "I love you too."

"That works out well, doesn't it?"

"I think so. On that note," Dean said, stepping back again and letting her lean back on the edge of the Impala. "I actually have a question for you."

"Oh?"

"I was wondering if I could keep you."

Casey's eyes widened and she laughed, "Keep me? Like a puppy?"

"I was thinking more like a wife, actually." Dean said hopefully, holding up a sparkling ring. He didn't have much experience with this sort of thing. Not much at all, so he wasn't sure which way to take her gasp and tear-filled eyes. When she practically jumped into his arms and hugged him tight, he figured it was a good sign.

Giving Dean a long kiss, Casey waited for her heartbeat to return to normal. It didn't. She pulled back and grinned at him, "Are you asking me to marry you, Deano?"

"That's exactly what I'm doing, Echo." Dean's smile widened as he brandished the ring, "Happy birthday, Casey."

Casey wiped a tear from her cheek as she looked from Dean's face to the ring. She asked, "So you gonna put that on my finger now or what?"

"Did you say you wanted it?" He held it back a little, a wicked smirk on his face, "Cuz I didn't exactly hear a yes out of you."

"Yes!" She shouted. "Yes, I will marry you! Absolutely. I can't...I just can't believe you asked. I mean, I've dreamed about this…" She trailed off as he slid the ring on her hand, then she looked back up at him. "Dean? Are we...will this work? Can we do this?"

"It's legal in 50 states and all territories." Dean grinned, hands gently resting on her shoulders. "As far as I know."

"That's not what I mean, you nut." Casey shook her head, but couldn't shake the nerves. "I want to marry you...I'm just...can we make it work? I mean, we're not exactly…"

"Normal?"

"Yeah."

Dean kissed her forehead and smiled, "We can make it work. Doesn't matter that our lives are weirder than most. Hey, if Romeo and Juliet could make it work…"

"They died."

"If Rick and Ilsa could make it work…"

"They split up at the end of Casablanca." Casey quirked an eyebrow. "You aren't exactly filling me with confidence right now, Deano."

Dean took a deep breath, trying to think of a successful love story. He smiled gently and said, "Casey, if your mom and dad could make it work, despite him being an angel and never home; if they loved each other that much...if my folks could make it work, and they did, then we can too. Our lives don't need to be normal for us to have a life together. Right?"

Casey nodded slowly, still not convinced.

"Hey." Dean lifted her chin. He stared into the eyes of the most beautiful woman he'd ever known and smiled, "Casey, I love you. You changed me. You gave me a reason to live; you still do. Every morning I wake up and face the day because I know you are going to be part of that day. You are my forever, my future, my best friend. I don't know what we're going to face, but we're going to be just fine. Together."

"Together." Casey leaned into his embrace.

Closing her eyes, she knew they would be fine. She'd never felt safer and more loved in her entire life.

**_The End_**

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**_Hope you enjoyed! _**


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